After the RIAA initiated a series of lawsuits against Columbia students starting in February, students' rights rose to the forefront of campus debates once again, stirring up controversy about the role of the university and privacy in the digital age. But what happened to those kids? Bwog asked Orlando Rodriguez, C'09, what it's like when the Man sticks you.
When did the RIAA tell you they were suing you?
So in late March- it was March 25th I think- I found that my internet was shut off. I called the computer people and they told me they had shut it off because of the RIAA. The guy sounded very serious and said, "Stop or they'll sue you." Then a week later I got a letter from the RIAA, which told me to go a certain website and type in my 'case number.'
And that's when you found out how much they wanted?
Yeah, it's $3000. If you pay the money then the charge goes away, but if they take you to court they can charge you up to $150,000. It's $750 per song because of all the extra crap, the videos and all that.
How many songs did you have?
It was less than a thousand, which was low. I've heard of someone settling for $8,000,
so I'm at the lowest end of the spectrum. Most of the settlements are around $5,000.
So they got you for having these songs downloaded?
It wasn't that I was downloading, it was that I had shared too many. I never fixed my Limewire so that they songs weren't shared.
How are you settling this? Did you hire a lawyer?
No, no lawyer. It's too expensive, more expensive than I'm paying. My sister works for a law firm, and they told me my best course of action would be to settle. They give you two options: settle it now- through the Internet-